Oakland's Disgust for the Military

Jeff Solsby's story concerning the mistreatment of US Marines at Oakland International is eye-opening. Why would TSA (Transportation Security Administration) employees go as far to not allow military personnel inside an airport terminal? What would be there motive?

I have a two part theory. The first is based on a similar event that occurred in 1999, and the second entails the politics within the TSA.

As everybody knows, the Bay Area remains one of the purest bastions of anti-war liberalism. During Vietnam ,UC Berkeley became known as one of the most active in campus protests and more recently the school's student senate has banned military recruiters.  However, a little known fact in recent history is the Bay Area residents' opposition to Operation Urban Warrior.

In 1999, US Marines conducted a series of special tactical exercises in Oakland meant to prepare their forces for urban style combat. In what was supposed to take place at San Francisco's Presidio Army Base ,but cancelled after pressure from environmental groups, then Mayor Jerry Brown finally allowed the Marines to practice in Oakland as it would bring an estimated 4.5 million dollars of much needed revenue to the city.

While urban war strategists explained that such exercises were compulsory since 70 percent of the world's population will be concentrated in cities adjacent to large bodies of water by 2025, that's not how local media and activists portrayed the story. Slingshot Magazine and Socialist Action each characterized the exercises as an invasion of Oakland and an occupation, and accused Marines of devising a strategy to suppress the world's urban poor.

 Among other things, Slingshot accused the US Marines of being the imperial arm of US foreign policy, and praised efforts at obstructing the morale of military personnel.

Oakland residents have already held one protest against the wargames, and others are planned. Some creative souls have suggested huge toddler birthday parties on the beach prior to the invasion, or topless swimming to distract the marines as they come ashore. Another idea is to assist the marines in their simulated urban warfare by creating massive traffic jams around the exercises, such as those that would surely result from any invasion. One action group plans to confront Mayor Brown at all of his public appearances and drown out his public addresses with a recording of The Marine Hymn. Other creative ideas are of course welcome during the occupation.

William Wolfe of Socialist Action suggested that the exercises were a warfest.

The Marines held a week-long military warfest in the Oakland area, which included some 14 waves of hovercraft landings, 40 aircraft overflights, and the detonation of 60 "flashbang" grenades and 24,000 rounds of extremely loud machine gun fire.

According to an article published in The Examiner in March of 1999, protests occurred at the training, and later there was a 70 person march on City Hall.

While the Daily Kos can discount the airport event all they want, all of these incidents evidently portray the attitudes of many Bay Area citizens towards the  armed forces and why the aforementioned incident was able to occur.  They don't subscribe to a strong national defense because they have the neo-liberal Chomskyist mentality that military supremacy only serves the aims of imperialist glory. And they are adamant in disrespecting the Marines and other military personnel because they are paramount in achieving these "so called" ends.

The involvement of TSA employees coincides with the second part of this theory. Just recently The American Federation of Government Employees won the right to sue against the US government for constitutional violations, after a TSA employee from Oakland was fired for trying to organize a union. This decision comes on the heels of a failed Democrat lead effort earlier this year to repeal a post 9/11 law which gives the TSA broad power to hire and fire security screeners and prohibits employees from collective bargaining. The White House contends that any effort to overturn such legislation would inhibit the TSA's ability to reassign employees to their skill levels to more efficiently counter possible terror threats.

The fact that this case originated from Oakland is coincidental. But the very fact that TSA malcontents at this airport resent and oppose the anti-terror legislation under the guise of national security is not. Coupled with the general bitterness of Oakland's leftist leanings towards the military and the fallout from Urban Warrior, is it a remote possibility there is a concerted and systematic effort to aggravate and demoralize our troops? Apparently not, as the email indicates, this has happened before.

Comments

[Bladerunner]

Jonathan---What is it--are the new GOP-Rush talking points telling you guys to peddle this nonsense of trying to link wackos to--in this case--a respected United States labor organization? Got enough good press on the self-inflicted wound by Moveon.org that the GOP is telling its bloggers to find any example of some left wing nuts harassing our soldiers and sailors and pinning it on the Democrats or labor unions?

Color me skeptical, even though I think the Bay area is full of lefty loons, Giants fans and fellow travelers. If there is some evidence other then an e-mail being circulated by the media, report it. Apparently there have been complaints to Congress....if so have your congressional Reds demand an investigation.

Our military should always, always, be treated with the utmost respect. If the Airport Authority is jacking our troops around then someone should be fired. But spare us the polemics.

[Jonathan Constantine]

BR,

It's epidemic behavior of leftist loons to act this way in the Bay Area. I am just pointing to the facts that some agitated bureaucrats share the same geopolitical reality.

The point has merit.

[Bladerunner]

Jonathan--- Wanting to have the same due process rights as millions of other Americans with employment contracts hardly means the TSA employees share the same geoploitical reality as some Bezerkeley wing nuts.

But if Red County finds some evidence beyond what you have about the airport bagging on our troops please post it. I'll be writing my member of Congress and demanding someone gets canned.

[Jonathan Constantine]

BR,

It's not just the Bezerkeley wing nuts.

If you read above, please take not, that the incident in 1999 involved citizens of Oakland who viewed Marines as invaders and as a occupying force.

[Biff]

Slingshot Magazine and Socialist Action each characterized the exercises as an invasion of Oakland

Yeah, and I'm sure that all ten of their readers were out in force to protest. Scary stuff!

[Patricia]

A concerted effort to demoralize our troops? No, that would never happen!

http://www.warresisters.org/nva0505-1.htm

[tylerh]

"A concerted effort to demoralize our troops? "

Our own political leadership is already doing a fine job of that. It's been over two years since Dick Cheney said the Iraqi insurgency was "in the last throes", for example.

Our men and women in Iraq are for more concerned about IEDs and our leadership's inability to plan than the goings-on at the Oakland airport, where this civilians has been treated rudely as well.

p.s. Patricia, since you're so concerned about the troops morale, I presume you are acting personally to help. I would like hear about your efforts.